Kayaking Safety - The EssentialsWatch this short video to learn how youcan insure that your paddling experiencewill be relatively safe for all involved.Training Canoe Newbies Over the years, Cliff Jacobson has formed afew tests to get new canoeists ready to run whitewater rivers. Read all about them.

The Wilderness was designed for a paddler and a load of gear, so you can expect that with only a paddler, it'll sit light on the water and blow around a little.

One thing you could do is to make up an emergency bag containing what you would need if, while out on a day trip, you were blown to shore and stranded. A minimalist tent, pad, sleeping bag, some long-storage food, etc. Allow yourself maybe 50 pounds. Seal it up in a dry bag, and whenever you're out on a day trip, have it tied in your boat just in front of you. (Mind the trim.) Another supplementary source of ballast is a camel water bag on the bottom of the boat.

Taking these things on all day trips, you will be safer and the boat will be within its load design range.

Wilderness Posted by: jefallon on Jan-20-13 9:52 PM (EST)

I have been paddling a Kev-Flex Wilderness, empty for day trips primarily and loaded for a few longer camping trips a year, for the past 4 years. I weigh about 215lbs. I don't think of the Wilderness as "hard tracking" when empty and haven't found it unmanageable in the wind. Having symmetrical rocker means neither the bow nor stern is "sticky" and correction is easier, in my opinion, than with a "skegged" stern.